WTB: Original RHD euro

[gcd]

Hi all,
I'm looking to purchase one of the few factory converted RHDs. I'm starting my search for a rhd again after many many years.

If yours is available for sale or if you know of one for sale please let me know either by PM or at "gcd at iimetro.com.au". Perhaps Dave Howarth knows of one - been just as many years since I last called him and I suspect he still isn't on the web.

I did look at vin 12173 a long time back which at that time was in the Midland Motor museum ( in the Manchester area) which is now owned (still?) by Phil Peters. I visited the car and made an offer - the owner obviously didn't accept as I never heard back from the mueum.

Anyway - let me know if you're even considering selling.

I can arrange transport to AUS etc.

Thanks
Greg

[Brian morgan]

hi greg Theres one listed on classiccarsforsale.co.uk dont know any more than that , saw it while i was browsing for a d for myself looking for one at the lower end if any one knows of one. cheers Brian

[stunned_monkey]

We are currenty building a (very) special RHD for a customer in Melbourne.

[gcd]

Hi,
thanks for the info. Thought I'd let you all know what I've been provided on that one. It's not one of the factory conversions, the owner indicates it was converted by Woller Hodec about 8yrs later with a vin of 6986, wasn't provided the full vin. So it's tempting as I expect the conversion would have been done in the same way or perhaps even using lessons learned.

I'll have to get a suite of pics to see if it has all the euro features. Would still prefer one of the earlier factory conversions though.

Cheers
Greg

Brian morgan Wrote:hi greg Theres one listed on classiccarsforsale.co.uk dont know any more than that , saw it while i was browsing for a d for myself looking for one at the lower end if any one knows of one. cheers Brian

[steve-mac]

if i am not mistaken no rhd cars where done at the belfast factory????? maybe im wrong.


i think Woller Hodec did all the rhd conversion for the factory cars where shiped to the uk

[gcd]

Hi,
semantics I suppose. I believe most would understand my use of 'factory' there to mean exactly as you've described - as arranged by or under the control of the factory. I was trying to distinguish between those that were RHD converted when DMC existed as opposed to a RHD conversion post their collapse, even if by the same crowd. A slight difference in provenance.

Cheers
Greg

steve-mac Wrote:if i am not mistaken no rhd cars where done at the belfast factory????? maybe im wrong.


i think Woller Hodec did all the rhd conversion for the factory cars where shiped to the uk

[stunned_monkey]

3 cars were factory converted, most easily recognised by the aerial in the roof and AXI 1697, 8 and 9 number plates.PSO is definitely not original and has some rather major flaws in the conversion, most notably the steering rack and seriously offset pedals. Nothing that can't be fixed though.

[A Van]

According to Nick Sutton (Purchasing Manager DMC 1978-1983) NO cars were converted to RHD at the factory, they were all outsourced.

[stunned_monkey]

Over to Chrispy on that. IIRC They were done when the factory was under the kosh from administration I believe, so most emplyees weren't there at the time.

[Phil Peters]

Hi Greg!

Good to see you on the forum, it's been a while Yes, VIN# 12173 is still with me, still undergoing a little cosmetic restoration. It hasn't really covered any mileage since it was liberated from the Midland Motor Museum in September 2002. I was hoping to have it back on the road this year but it may end up being next year. Apparently the guy that owned it back when it was in the museum had an asking price of £40k on it at one point back in the mid-nineties!

Dave Howarth used to own PSO so he can give you the full story on that one. And no, Dave's still not on the internet!

As for the "cars converted at the factory" thing, I read Nick Sutton's comments about that a while ago. The story differs if you speak to Barrie Wills who was one of the members of the consortium that was due to take over the factory in late 1982 before the JZD / FBI drug bust happened. IIRC, Barrie said that the 3 AXI cars were completed by his team while the receivers were running the factory (i.e. some time after May '82). There is at least one contemporary UK newspaper article to support this. I would love to know the full story here though.

I believe there's a connection between the AXI cars and the Wooler-Hodec cars, with some of the Wooler-Hodec cars being closer to the AXI cars in terms of configuration, particularly the fabled twin brake servo. It's always intrigued me that although Wooler-Hodec were contracted to convert a batch of 20 cars based on (according to a factory memo) an apparently pre-determined spec, there are significant differences between some of the Wooler-Hodec cars that appear to show evolutionary development. Are there any former Wooler-Hodec guys out there reading this who can fill in the gaps here?

Cheers,

Phil

[Guinney1971]

Phil, talking of PSO, I was given a copy of the Saturday Telegraph by my old boss a year or
so ago, and it had a photo of the car, with its owner, a Stephen Bowman from the classical
group Blake.

I had to look twice, because Stephen Bowman is the spitting image of another club member who
used to own it.......

Martin, you know him quite well, can you shed any light on this?

[stunned_monkey]

Maybe because they're one and the same person...

http://www.blakeofficial.com/biography/stephen-bowman/

[Guinney1971]

I did wonder tbh! lol

Bit different to what he used to do tho. Dont remember him saying he was a bass baritone
that weekend we all had down at his parents gaff in Bath a few years ago.

Well, glad he's doing ok, he's a nice bloke